Lions need more protein and
increased levels of amino acids cysteine and methionine. This is because when
they cannot find any food they are unable to maintain the amount of nitrogen
they have in the body. Carbohydrate are needed in low amounts. This is because
glucose the carbohydrate that works as an energy for tissues and they get the
glucose from fat and protein. The fatty acids needed by lions are arachidonic
acid and linoleic acid. Lions are not capable of changing provitamin A
compounds e.g. beta-carotene in to retinal and this is essential to have in
their diet. Along with this they cannot change the amino acid tryptophan to niacin
and niacin is essential in their diet too. Water should be available at all
times in a bowl and fresh water needs to be provided.
Lion cubs
They require their mother’s milk and the nutritional value of their milk is 30.8% of Protein, 57.9% of fat, 11.2% of carbohydrate and 30.2% dry matter. They need to be weighed every day at the same time. The amount of food that should be given to the cub is dependent on their body weight. Example is 20% of body weight every 24 hours. In order to feed them 20% of their body weight in a day you must divide the food into at least 5 meals. They need more protein due to growing, more fat to allow the lion to put weight on whilst growing and more carbohydrates in order to have the energy to grow and put weight on.
They can start on solids at 5-6 weeks of age and this is complete canned food it can be placed in the bowl with a formula. You need to decrease the amount of formula in a percentage of body weight. At 7-12 weeks you take the formula out completely (Cub nutrition, 2015).
An adult lion
They require a meat mix and the nutritional content of this food should be: protein; 37.2%, fat 39.6%, ash 9.1%, fibre 1.1% and moisture 41.6%. They need more protein due to the size of the animal to maintain strong bones and meet the needs for the constant supply of Taurine in the diet. They need fat to allow them to maintain the weight they have and to protect their vital organs. They need carbohydrates to supply them with enough energy to hunt for food and to survive. Without moisture in their diet they would find the food very difficult to digest and will not be very palatable (Cub nutrition, 2015).
Energy requirements are 40% higher in gestation due to the need for protein to develop a strong foetus and have enough carbohydrates to not only keep the lion strong but the growing foetus inside her. They need twice that of the maintenance in peak lactation due to needing enough energy to produce a sufficient amount of milk if they do not have enough carbohydrates and protein then they will produce little to no milk (Ackerman, 2012).
Calculating energy requirements in a lion
Adult lion weight = 202kilograms
Nutrient analysis of meat mix:
37.2 % protein
39.6 % fat
9.1 % ash
1.1% fiber
41.6 % moisture
Maintenance energy needs:
Equation: BMR X 2
(3751- 6872) X 2
Range 7502 – 13744 kcal/day
Basal metabolic rate = 70 x bodyweight in kilograms. 75 kleiber or 91.8 x bodyweight in kilograms. 813 (McNab)
Energy requirement for maintenance is x2 BMR
Energy content (ME)
ME (kcal/kg)= 10(3.5 x crude protein) + (8.5 x crude protein) +(3.5 x carbohydrate or nitrogen extract)
NFE = 100- (crude protein % +crude fat % + crude fibre + moisture % + ash %)
Meat diets are high in phosphorus, no calcium. They also do not have vitamin A, E and D which are in organ tissues and adipose. Higher requirements are needed of water soluble vitamins. They need Niacin, vitamin D, A as they are unable to use carotenes. Young lions need 10-25% of body weight per day (Lion Nutrition Guide, 2013).
A adult lion eats only meat so their diet only consists of this. In one meal they have up to 40kg this can be zebra or pig. As they are wild animals they would not eat this everyday because they will not always be able to catch it. However, in captivity this amount of meat is given to them every few days to mimic the wild. This is a beneficial diet for a lion because in one meal the lion is getting all the nutrients it needs. However, if the prey had something wrong with it the lion will be deprived of some nutrients from it causing the lion to be ill. This diet is put in place due to research and knowing how much they eat in the wild.
Lion cubs
They require their mother’s milk and the nutritional value of their milk is 30.8% of Protein, 57.9% of fat, 11.2% of carbohydrate and 30.2% dry matter. They need to be weighed every day at the same time. The amount of food that should be given to the cub is dependent on their body weight. Example is 20% of body weight every 24 hours. In order to feed them 20% of their body weight in a day you must divide the food into at least 5 meals. They need more protein due to growing, more fat to allow the lion to put weight on whilst growing and more carbohydrates in order to have the energy to grow and put weight on.
They can start on solids at 5-6 weeks of age and this is complete canned food it can be placed in the bowl with a formula. You need to decrease the amount of formula in a percentage of body weight. At 7-12 weeks you take the formula out completely (Cub nutrition, 2015).
An adult lion
They require a meat mix and the nutritional content of this food should be: protein; 37.2%, fat 39.6%, ash 9.1%, fibre 1.1% and moisture 41.6%. They need more protein due to the size of the animal to maintain strong bones and meet the needs for the constant supply of Taurine in the diet. They need fat to allow them to maintain the weight they have and to protect their vital organs. They need carbohydrates to supply them with enough energy to hunt for food and to survive. Without moisture in their diet they would find the food very difficult to digest and will not be very palatable (Cub nutrition, 2015).
Energy requirements are 40% higher in gestation due to the need for protein to develop a strong foetus and have enough carbohydrates to not only keep the lion strong but the growing foetus inside her. They need twice that of the maintenance in peak lactation due to needing enough energy to produce a sufficient amount of milk if they do not have enough carbohydrates and protein then they will produce little to no milk (Ackerman, 2012).
Calculating energy requirements in a lion
Adult lion weight = 202kilograms
Nutrient analysis of meat mix:
37.2 % protein
39.6 % fat
9.1 % ash
1.1% fiber
41.6 % moisture
Maintenance energy needs:
Equation: BMR X 2
(3751- 6872) X 2
Range 7502 – 13744 kcal/day
Basal metabolic rate = 70 x bodyweight in kilograms. 75 kleiber or 91.8 x bodyweight in kilograms. 813 (McNab)
Energy requirement for maintenance is x2 BMR
Energy content (ME)
ME (kcal/kg)= 10(3.5 x crude protein) + (8.5 x crude protein) +(3.5 x carbohydrate or nitrogen extract)
NFE = 100- (crude protein % +crude fat % + crude fibre + moisture % + ash %)
Meat diets are high in phosphorus, no calcium. They also do not have vitamin A, E and D which are in organ tissues and adipose. Higher requirements are needed of water soluble vitamins. They need Niacin, vitamin D, A as they are unable to use carotenes. Young lions need 10-25% of body weight per day (Lion Nutrition Guide, 2013).
A adult lion eats only meat so their diet only consists of this. In one meal they have up to 40kg this can be zebra or pig. As they are wild animals they would not eat this everyday because they will not always be able to catch it. However, in captivity this amount of meat is given to them every few days to mimic the wild. This is a beneficial diet for a lion because in one meal the lion is getting all the nutrients it needs. However, if the prey had something wrong with it the lion will be deprived of some nutrients from it causing the lion to be ill. This diet is put in place due to research and knowing how much they eat in the wild.
(Lion Nutrition, 2015).
